Sea Lion

August 17, 2025

One of the joys of visiting family is being able to spend time on the ocean coast.  My sister lives in Maine and we always take time to visit the ocean for at least one day during the trip.  My son’s family lives near Seattle and has a beach house near the Tulalip Tribe’s reservation.  This weekend we were able to go to Seattle and spend two days on the coast.  The first day my young grandson took me fishing on the rock beach behind their house.  He made two casts and immediately caught a 6-inch (15 cm) sculpin (Hemilepidotus spinosus).  After two more casts, he offered the pole to me.  I took several casts and did not get a bite.  My grandson seemed to get bored and went back to play at the house.  I kept casting for another 10 minutes and did not get a bite the entire time.  I gave up and went to sit on the deck and watch the beautiful sunset.  After several minutes my daughter-in-law noticed a sea lion had ventured into our part of the bay and was bobbing up and down in the channel.

When I went online, I found the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) is a coastal eared seal native to western North America.  It is one of six species of sea lions.  It has a natural habitat range from southeast Alaska to central Mexico, including the Gulf of California.  California sea lions are sexually dimorphic with the males being larger than females. Males have a thicker neck and a protruding ridge of bone lengthwise along the top of the skull (sagittal crest).  The animals will mainly haul out on sandy or rocky beaches, but they also frequent manmade environments such as marinas and wharves.  Sea lions feed on several species of fish and squid and are preyed on by orcas and great white sharks.  The sea lions have a polygynous (multiple partners) breeding pattern.  Males establish territories from May to August and try to attract females to mate.  Females are free to move between territories and are not coerced by males.  Mothers nurse their pups in between foraging trips.  California sea lions use many vocalizations, but most notably barks and mother-pup contact calls.  Outside breeding season, California sea lions spend much of their time at sea but come to shore to molt.  The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the species as Least Concern due to its abundance.  Oregon and Washington states engage in annual kill quota to protect the fish.

When I woke up the following morning, I decided I would try my luck with fishing again.  When I fished yesterday it had been high tide (the best time to catch fish on this beach).  Now it was low tide.  Undeterred, I took the poll and strode to the water’s edge and began to cast once more.  I found out why it is best to fish at high tide almost immediately.  On nearly every cast I fouled my hook in the lush beds of eel grass (Zostera marina) that covered the bottom of the channel.  Besides providing excellent forage for the California sea lions, the sea grass meadows provide food and shelter for juvenile fish, Dungeness crabs (Metacarcinus magister), the Pink (Chlamys rubida) and Spiny Scallops (Chlamys hastata). and other marine life.  They serve as a food source for herbivores during the growing season and for things that feed on the decomposing grass (detritivores).  The seagrasses absorb carbon dioxide, filter polluted runoff, absorb excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), stabilize sediments, and improve water flow. 

THOUGHTS: One of the questions I was frequently asked after moving from California’s Bay Area to southcentral Kansas was if it was any different where I used to live.  I rented a house at a marina on the bay with a boat slip out my back door.  My stock answer was, “well, I have not been greeted by the sound of a sea lion when I wake up in the morning.”  While not getting any bites the second day, I spotted a sea lion pup and mother foraging nearby.  It was good to know I was in a healthy ecosystem.  We need to do what we can to keep them that way.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.